CRITICAL READING SKILLS THROUGH MODERN ENGLISH LITERATURE
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Critical reading is an essential component of advanced language competence because it requires readers not only to understand what a text says but also to examine how meaning is constructed, whose perspective is represented, what assumptions underlie the text, and how linguistic choices influence interpretation. Modern English literature provides particularly valuable material for the development of such skills because literary texts frequently combine complex language, multiple perspectives, ambiguity, symbolism, social issues, cultural references, and implicit meanings. This article examines the potential of modern English literature for developing critical reading skills in English-language and English-as-a-foreignlanguage contexts. The study is based on a qualitative synthesis of established research on literary reading, critical literacy, stylistics, critical thinking, and literaturebased language education. Particular attention is given to reader response, contextual interpretation, linguistic analysis, evaluation of evidence, recognition of ideology and perspective, and comparative interpretation. Existing empirical evidence demonstrates that explicit instruction in critical thinking and critical reading can produce measurable educational effects. A meta-analysis of 117 studies involving 20,698 participants reported an overall mean effect size of 0.34 for instructional interventions targeting critical thinking, while a more recent university-level study involving 39 undergraduate students found that 94.87% of participants considered a two-stage critical reading model helpful. The analysis indicates that modern English literature is most effective for critical reading development when literary interpretation is combined with explicit questioning, contextualization, stylistic analysis, discussion, evidence-based argumentation, and reflection. The article concludes that literary education should move beyond the reproduction of predetermined interpretations and encourage students to become active, independent, and critically responsible readers.
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